In a bid to reduce vehicular pollution, the West Bengal government is focusing on adding 2,000 electric buses to its fleet and also converting at least 3,000 diesel-run buses into CNG-powered vehicles in the next few years, state Transport Minister Firhad Hakim said on Sunday.
Around 80 electric buses are currently plying the roads of Kolkata, Hakim said, adding that a pilot project for turning 30 fossil fuel-run buses into CNG-operated ones has been completed, and the results are encouraging.
“We are looking for 2,000 electric buses and are hopeful to add these vehicles to the existing fleet in the next 3-4 years. At present, production of such green buses is less owing to lack of supply for lithium battery,” Hakim, also the city mayor, said.
